


The Morning After the Night Before

by A_Farnese



Series: Domestic Bliss [4]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Hangover, M/M, happy new year, new years day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-01
Updated: 2016-01-01
Packaged: 2018-05-11 00:11:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5606260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_Farnese/pseuds/A_Farnese
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur might have had a little too much to drink on New Year's Eve...</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Morning After the Night Before

**Author's Note:**

> Merlin and its characters do not belong to me. No money is being made from this.

_Aspirin?_

Check.

_One glass of water?_

Check

_Toast?_

Check, but perhaps not necessary.

Still, Merlin placed the plate with the three slices- toasted to that perfect shade of golden brown and slathered with just a bit of butter- on the tray and crept down the hall, listening. There were certain sounds he didn't want to hear coming from the bedroom. Or the bathroom. All was quiet on both fronts, though, save for the rustling of blankets. And maybe a bit of a whimper.

"Still alive in there?" Merlin asked. He pushed the door open with his foot, being careful not to let too much light in. Lucky thing that their bedroom was on the west side of the flat. It would have been worse if the morning sun could shine in. "Arthur?"

"Mmmfgh." A bit of blond hair emerged from the blankets, followed by a hand sliding up the edge of a pillow. Merlin prepared to dodge in case it came flying at his head, but the hand fell off the pillow and onto the bed where it remained, unmoving.

Merlin smiled. A hungover Arthur was a rare sight, and dealing with him demanded caution and humor in equal measures. "I brought you something for your head."

"Better be a hammer," Arthur mumbled. "Put me out of my misery."

"Nothing like that," Merlin said. "How about a glass of water and some aspirin instead? Maybe some toast?"

A pair of bloodshot blue eyes came into view and squinted up at Merlin. "No to the toast. I'll consider the others. Later." Arthur drew the blankets back over his face and squirmed about, curling up tighter.

Merlin rested the tray against his hip and set the toast on the nightstand, then the water and the aspirin, all in the order Arthur would reach for them. If Arthur ever decided to take them. "I don't usually like to say 'I told you so'," Merlin said conversationally, "but, ah. I told you so. Maybe this will be a lesson for you, so in the future, when Morgana asks if you want to try some new drink she's come up with, you'll be smart about it and say no. I hope the flavor was worth it."

"Nooo," Arthur groaned. He sighed and flipped the blankets away from his shoulders. That was the end of the progress. "She said she'd drink one, too."

"Yeah, well, she drank something else, because she was chipper as a songbird while I was pouring you into the car to bring you home," Merlin chuckled and shook his head. Morgana's drink had looked the same as the concoction she'd given to Arthur, but Merlin had a feeling that the ingredients were drastically different. "You should know by now that when she has that little smile on her face that she has something evil in mind. Even I know that, and I haven't known her that long. You grew up with her."

"She's usually nice." Arthur rubbed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair. It stuck up at odd angles, lending him a boyish charm that was not lessened by the stubble on his jaw. "Easy to forget that she can be mean."

"Well, you won't forget now," Merlin said. "Come on. Take the aspirin, drink the water, and try to eat some toast. It's just the way you like it. Except maybe cold by now."

"Why would I want cold toast?"

"It wouldn't be cold if you'd eaten it right away," Merlin said. "Sit up. You're not going to feel better if you just lie there feeling sorry for yourself."

Arthur leveled a glare at him, but the effect was dampened by his bloodshot eyes and spiky hair. He looked like sullen teenager who'd been woken up too early on a weekend morning. "Fine," he grumped, inching his way up into a seated position with his back against the headboard.

Merlin handed the water and aspirin over, keeping an eye on Arthur's shaking hands in case he tried to drop the glass. "Are you going to make it?"

"Maybe." Arthur leaned his head back and closed his eyes. "Don't think I've been hungover like this since University. It's a terrible idea. Don't ever let me do it again."

"I tried last night, but once Morgana handed you that glass all bets were off," Merlin said. He took the glass back and set it on the nightstand.

"Did I say anything stupid?" He made an aborted attempt to sit up straight, winced, and sagged back. "Did I _do_ anything stupid? Last night's sort of a… blur."

"For one," Merlin held up a finger to start ticking off Arthur's offenses, "you told Freya she was really very pretty, and that if you weren't gay, you'd take her home in a minute. She was quite flattered. And laughing at you, but she was flattered. I can tell."

Arthur groaned and cracked an eye open. "Did I really say that?"

"Yes, you did. And there's more."

"Of course there is." He put a hand over his eyes and waited.

"Apparently, you got a little confused about who was who. When midnight rolled around you kissed Gwaine instead of me," Merlin said, doing his best to keep the smile off his face and the laughter out of his voice.

"Oh, god…" Arthur whimpered. "Did I really?"

"You did. He was thrilled. If he wasn't mostly straight, I might have some competition."

Arthur covered his face with both hands. "What the hell did I do that for?"

"I'm not sure. We both have dark hair?" Merlin shrugged. "You weren't making much sense at the time. Not that you ever make much sense, but last night was especially nonsensical. Still, you kept your trousers on and you didn't throw up on either me or the car, so we'll call it a win."

"I don't feel like a winner."

"You don't look like one right now, either." A minute or two passed quietly, the Merlin asked, "Think you can stand up? Get to the bathroom to brush your teeth and maybe think about a shower?"

"What do I win if I make it there?" he looked up at Merlin, peeking between his fingers. It made him look unbearably cute, despite his bloodshot eyes.

"I'm sure I could come up with something fun," Merlin answered, a sly smile spreading across his face. He stood, flipped the blankets aside, and held his hands out for Arthur.

He took them and stood up with only a little shakiness. A few deep breaths followed before Arthur opened his eyes and looked at Merlin. "You know, this year hasn't gotten off to a very good start."

Merlin grinned and kissed him on the cheek. "Don't worry. It'll get better. Now let's get you to the shower, and then we'll find out what this year has in store for us."


End file.
